Work holding and transferring mechanism



June 17, 1 930.

F. L. BORCHERT WORK HOLDING AND TRANS FERRING MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 10, 1923 Patented June 17, 1939 PATENT OFFICE FRED L. BORCHERT, OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS WORK HOLDING AND TRANSFERRING MECHANISM Original application filed November 10, 1923, Serial No. 673,905. Divided and this application filed August This is a division of my application Serial No. 673,905 filed November 10, 192-3, for confection making machine; The apparatus disclosed in said application is designed for cutting, coating and wrapping various commodities such as ice cream, candy, cake, sugar, soap etc. in bar or lump form. The apparatus disclosed herein was particularly designed for making and wrapping chocolate coated ice cream bars.

The present invention relates to means for holding bars or articles of the character referred to while coating or otherwise treating the same. The holding means is also 1 adapted for moving or transferring the article from one station to another, as for example, from a receivingstation to a coating station and to a discharging station.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide an article or work holding device having elements which impale the article in a particularly advantageous manner. In the preferred embodiment I employ wire-like impaling fingers nominally held in converging relation and adapted to be projected lengthwise of their respective longitudinal axes so as to penetrate the bar or article approximately at a single point of intersection and to diverge within the bar so as to secure an effective internal contact therewith for holding the article suspended. In this suspended position the article may be coated or subjected to any treatment or processing operation. One of the principal advantages of this construction is that a maximum surface is exposed for coating or other treatment and that the impaling elements may be withdrawn without marring the article or its coated surface and leaving only one or two small openings.

My invention has further advantages espe'-- Serial No. 297,349.

and they withdraw without disturbing the coating or jarring the bar from a given position as when deposited at a discharging station.

'My invention also aims to provide a simple and practical means for guiding and operating the impaling elements which are preferably but not necessarily in the form of flexible wire fingers. I have also aimed to mount the impaling elements on a holder in turn movably and detachably mounted on'a head or other form of conveyor for advancing one or more of the holders in succession from station to station.

Other objects and. attendant advantages will be appreciated as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description and when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which--- Figures 1 and 2 are plan and side views respectively of a work holder embodying my invention;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are cross sections taken on the lines 3-3, 44: and 55 respectively of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectio illustrating mechanism such as disclosed in i guide ways or conduits in a holder arm designated generally by 10. Said guide ways or conduits lead at one end in parallel relation to an opening 11 in the holder arm in which is mounted a slide 12 connected to the wire elements. At the opposite end said guide ways or conduits are brought into converging relation and are off-set just enough so that when the wires are projected they will cross in substantially touching relation. In this instance the part 13 of the work holder is in the form of a die-casting having tubes 14: inserted in the outer end. providing part of the guide ways. The end 15 of the work holder is a bar connected by side plates 16 to the part 10 and forming side guides for the slide 12. Said slide is suitably supported and guided, in this instance being fixed to a rod 17 which slides lengthwise in bearings 18 in the parts 10 and 15. Each of the parallel ends of the wire elements is detachably secured to the slide by suitable means such as a set screw 19. The slide 12 depends beneath the holder arm or shank and is adapted to be moved back and forth for projecting and retracting the impaling elements.

The work holding arm may be supported in any suitable manner and likewise the slide 12 may be operated by any suitable means for impaling and releasing an article. hen my invention is used in a production ma chine such as disclosed in the present application above mentioned a series of work holders or rocker arms as they are referred to in said application are so mounted that they will be moved in succession from station to station, such as to a receiving station for impaling an article, then to a coating station and then to a station at which the article is deposited or discharged. The apparatus shown herein for this purpose comprises a rotary head dsignated generally by 20 mounted in a suitable housing 21 for rotation about a vertical axis. The upper end of the head has circumferentially spaced radial slots 22 each of which is adapted to receive the shank end of a work holder. Each shank end has a grooved surface 23 which rests on the top surface 24 of the stationary bearing housing 21 and has a recess 25 in its top engaged by a retaining plate 26 detachably secured to the head 20. Each. work holder rests intermediate its ends on a suitable support such for example as a cam surface 26' at the top of an annular flange 27 in this case integral with the bearing housing 21. This cam surface is shaped to maintain the work holders at any desired elevation as they are carried from station to station by rotative movement of the head 20, it being obvious that the work holders may swing vertically by reason of their pivotal mounting on the head. This mounting is so designed that when the outer end of a work holder is raised high enough by hand its innermost end may be withdrawn outwardly from beneath the flange on the retaining plate 26, thus providing for quick detachment and mounting of the work holders. In Fig. 6 the work holder at the right has dropped into an opening or depression 28 in the cam surface and its lowering and raising movement is here regulated by a cam bar 29. This cam bar will lower the work holder to position a hold article at a depositing station designated by 30 at which the impaling elements will be withdrawn, dice charging the article. This station may, oi course, be for rece'ving an article, in which event the work holder is lowered into proper proximity to the article and the slide 12 will be operated to impale the article. This might also illustrate the operation of dipping the held article in a coating or treating liquid. The raising and lowering of the work holder might also be accomplished by the shape of the cam surface 26 depending on the particular operation to be performed, it being noted that the cam bar 29 raises and lowers the work holder while the head 20 is at rest, while the work holder must be moved over the cam surface 26 by rotation of the head in order to be moved vertically by such cam surface. In the present case the head 20 is indexed in step by step movements, and the cam bar 25) and a lever 31 for actuating the slide 12 are operated in timed relation from a common shaft For this purpose I have provided an eccentric 33 fixed to the shaft 32 and connected by a band 34 to a rocker arm 35 loose on a. shaft 36, a ratchet toothed disk 37 fixed to said shaft 36 and having a series of equally spaced ra chet teeth 38 (Fig. 7), and a springpressed pawl 39 carried by said rocker arm 35 and adapted to engage said teeth. Upon each complete rotation of the shaft 32 the pawl 39 which engages one of the teeth 38 will be drawn dmvnwardly during the first half rotation of thecccentric until it is carried into engagement with the next lower tooth, and upon the succeeding half rotation of the eccentric the pawl will be moved upwardly, imparting rotative movement to the shaft 36 and to the head 20 which is connected to said shaft by bevel gears 40. A 'am 41 fixed to the shaft 32 is adapted to actuate a roller 12 on the cam bar 29 for raising and lowering said cam bar once during each rotation of said shaft. Likewise a cam 13 fixed to the shaft 32 is adapted to actuate the lever 31 once during each relation of the shaft 32 for retracting the impaling elements at a predetermined time, it being here noted that said lever has an end 44tin the path of which said slide will be located when the work holder has been lowered to the discharging position, said lever 31 moving in a counter-clockwise direction viewing Fig. 6 for retracting said elements. In this particular machine a lever similar in action to the lever 31 is employed at a different station for actuating the slide 12 to project the impaling elements, the only difference being that the lever moves outwardly in its operating stroke and that a suitable cam is provided for so moving it.

The mechanism herein disclosed for moving the work holders from station to station in its broadest aspect is characterized by the wire-like impaling elements guided preferably in the manner disclosed so that they may be projected lengthwise for impaling an article at one or more points Without marring or disturbing the surface thereof, the elements moving in intersecting paths so that they will be disposed in angular relation within the article for supporting it. This method of picking up and transferring work pieces having. a composition or consistency making them difficult to handle is particularly desirable and advantageous because of the effective internal contact without appreciably marring the surface thereof. It should be understood therefore, that my invention is not limited to the handling of ice 4 cream bars but is applicable to various articles and commodities having a composition permitting of penetration of impaling elements in the manner here disclosed.

I claim:

1. Work holding apparatus of the character described, comprising means for picking up a bar of plastic material and carrying it from station to station, including picker arms having lengthwise movable lingers adapted to enter the bar at substantially a common. point and to diverge therefrom within the bar for holding it.

2. Work holding apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the fingers are in the form of flexible wire members. 7

3. Work holding apparatus of the character described, comprising means for picking up a bar of plastic material and carrying it from station to station, including fingers adapted to be projected lengthwise for impaling the bar and to be retracted for releasing it, the fingers being arranged to cross in angular relation in close proximity to each other so as to enter the bar at substantially a common point and to continue into the bar in diverging relation,

4. lVork holding apparatus as set forth in claim 3, in which the fingers are in the form of flexible wire members, a holder in which said Wire members are slidable, and means for projecting and retracting said wire members with respect to said holder.

5. Work holding apparatus of the character described, a picker arm adapted for picking up and carrying an article, comprising a holder arm and a pair of wire fingers mounted to slide lengthwise in the arm and to be projected lengthwise for impaling and holding an article and to be retracted for withdrawal therefrom, the fingers being arranged to cross in proximity to each other substantially at the point of entering the surface of the article and to diverge from such point within the article, and a member on the arm to which the wire fingers are at tached adapted to be moved back and forth for projecting and retracting the fingers.

6. Work holding apparatus ofthe character described, comprising a rotary head, a plurality of work holding picker arms connected to the head and radiating therefrom, means for indexing the head for moving the picker arms from station to station, each picker arm being equipped with fingers for impaling an article by lengthwise projection while the picker arm is at rest at a given station, said fingers being arranged to project in diverging relation within the article, and means for operating the impaling means of each picker arm upon movement thereof to said station to impale the article and for subsequently operating said means to with draw the fingers from the article.

7. Work holding apparatus of the character described, comprising a rotary head, a plurality of picker arms detachably connected to the head and radiating therefrom, means for imparting rotative movement to the head for moving the picker arms from station to station, and means on each picker arm for impaling an article to hold it and for releasing said article comprising wire fingers adapted to be projected from the picker arm in angular relation and lengthwise of the axis of each finger to impale the article.

8. \Vork holding apparatus of the character described, comprising a rotary head, picker arms mounted on and radiating'from the head, a work receiving station, a work discharge station, each picker arm being equipped with a pair of wire impaling fingers adapted to be projected in crossed relation for impaling an article at the work receiving station, means for indexing said head so that the picker arms will be advanced from said receiving to said discharge station, and mechanism for operating the picker arms and the impaling fingers to pick up a bar at the receiving station and deposit it at said discharge station.

9. A work holder having a pair of prongs guided ,for lengthwise movement to impale and at the opposite end in converging relation, and means for operating the parallel ends of said elements for advancing and re tracting the converging ends.

11. ,A work holder having a pair of wire impaling elements guided for lengthwise movement in intersecting paths and adapted by such lengthwise movement to impale an article at substantially a common point and to diverge therefrom into the article.

12. A work holder as set forth in claim 11, in which the wire impaling elements are guided on a work holder arm equipped with a slide for moving the said elements.

13. A work holder of the character described having tubular guides arranged to terminate at one end in proximity to each other in converging relation, wire-like impaling elements slidable in said guides for projection from said end thereof, and means for projecting and retracting said elements for impaling and withdrzuving from an article or material to be handled.

1dr. ll ork holding and transferring means comprising a rotary head having circumferentially spaced radial slots, a work holder arm seated in each slot and detachably held therein, each arm being equipped at its outer end with prongs adapted to be projected lengthwise in diverging relation for impaling an article, means for indexing the head for moving the work holders from station to station, and means for projecting the prongs of each work holder arm upon movement thereof to a given station and for subsequently withdrawing the prongs.

15. lVork holding and transferring means comprising a rotary head equipped with a plurality of circumferentially spaced work holders each having means at its outer end for ampaling an article and carrying it supported from station to station, means for indexing the head, and means for producing relative movement between the impaling means and an article for impaling the article.

16. lVork holding and transferring means comprising a rotary head equipped with a plurality of circumferentially spaced Work holders each having means at its outer end for impaling an article and carrying it sup ported from station to station, means for indexing the head, means for producing relative movement between the impaling means and an article for impaling the article, and means for raising and lowering the work holders at predetermined times.

17. Work holding and transferring means comprising a rotary head adapted to be indexed having radial slots in its periphery, work holders each adapted to be inserted at one end in a slot and having at such end a curved bottom bearing face and a recessed upper face, work holder retaining means engaging the recessed faces and permitting detachment of each work holder when it is swung to an upright position, and means controlling the vertical position of each work holder adapted for moving it to different work holding elevations.

18. A work holder having a pair of wirelike impaling elements normally held in a retracted position and adapted to be pro jected for impaling an article, said elements being arranged so that when projected they will enter an article at substantially a common point and will diverge therefrom into the article.

In witness of the foregoing I aifix my signature.

- FRED L. BORGHERT. 

